Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured. There were SO MANY amazing links last week it was tough choosing. Last week I had ZERO features because we were sick so I'm making up for it this week!

I know "Real" food may not seem like
as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the
internet. This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique. This is the place
to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade
posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted. These are garbage ingredients. Sorry...Not real food.Here's a great reference from Food Myths:Do you ever think
about how far the food you eat travels? Who grew it? Who picked it?
How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite?Real Food is:-Supports fair farmworker wages-GMO Free-Little to no processing/processed ingredients-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions-Meat
and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not
genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts! Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

When I make these tonight I'll use a darker leafy green (romaine or Kale)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add
mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Place mushrooms in a large bowl, set aside.
Add chicken, garlic and ginger to skillet and cook for 6-7 minutes or
until chicken is brown, breaking the meat up as it cooks. Combine the
chicken mixture with the bowl of mushrooms; add green onions and water
chestnuts; toss together. Combine sesame oil, rice wine vinegar,
lower-sodium soy sauce, honey and crushed red pepper flakes in a small
bowl; whisk to mix well. Divide chicken mixture evenly between each
lettuce leaf and top with sesame oil mixture. Optional: Garnish with
fun, bright extras, like the red peppers and scallions seen above.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!We are looking for co-hosts. Please comment below with your URL.

I have no features this week. We're sick over here but I promise I'll make it up to you next week!

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like
as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the
internet. This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique. This is the place
to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade
posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted. These are garbage ingredients. Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:Do you ever think
about how far the food you eat travels? Who grew it? Who picked it?
How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:-Supports fair farmworker wages-GMO Free-Little to no processing/processed ingredients-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions-Meat
and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not
genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts! Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Jacquelyn Byers is a brave women. Not only is she shunning harsh chemicals, she's willing to share with all of us!And Kathy Lee...Since when does "not washing your hair with chemicals" translate to "not showering? AND...What the heck do you think people used BEFORE these major corporations came around with their chemical-laden products?

Watch this video HERE at around 6:30 minutes. Kathy Lee...Have you looked in the mirror lately? You look TOXIC! Since when does "not wanting to use chemicals" been a bad thing? I wonder if this has something to do with ADVERTISERS for her silly little TV show...Hmmmm.

Sometimes I get really pissed. Do you notice how Kathy Lee says "blogger" like it's a dirty word? I get most of my REAL LIFE information from Bloggers...Kathy Lee! This is one of the many reasons that I don't watch cable TV crap. It's full of this sort of nonsense. And by nonsense I mean mindless drivel from self-entitled spoiled brats who previously ran sweatshops in their spare time.

Friday, January 17, 2014

SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Culture of friendly Bacteria and Yeast. I have read different opinions from different bloggers. Some say not to bother growing your own SCOBY, while others say "It's so easy."

I used a wide mouth quart jar to do this. Steep tea bags AND
dissolve sugar in boiling water, placing all in quart jar. Allow to
steep until water is room temp or overnight, which works best. Once
cool, remove tea bags and add the entire bottle of store bought
kombucha. (Make sure it's cool; the heat can kill the SCOBY and the kombucha)
Cover with a thin towel and put someplace where it won't be disturbed
for about 2 -4 weeks. I put mine on top of the fridge. You want your
SCOBY to be about 1/4 in thick before you start brewing your tea.

Heather says: **You
really should use old fashion white sugar, organic if possible. White
sugar is the most easily digestible for the SCOBY and it gives the
highest amount of glucuronic acid, which is your goal. Don't worry
about consuming it; the SCOBY will eat it up!

*I used 2 tablespoons of sugar for good measure*

My SCOBY is almost 2 weeks old at the moment. Once I have a few free moments (maybe this weekend) I'm going to start brewing my own Kombucha.

What is Kombucha?

From Food Renegade, "The beverage the ancient Chinese called the “Immortal Health Elixir?”
It’s been around for more than 2,000 years and has a rich anecdotal
history of health benefits like preventing and fighting cancer,
arthritis, and other degenerative diseases.
Made from sweetened tea that’s been fermented by a symbiotic colony
of bacteria and yeast (a SCOBY, a.k.a. “mother” because of its ability
to reproduce, or “mushroom” because of its appearance), Kombucha didn’t
gain prominence in the West until recently."

Thursday, January 16, 2014

I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!We are looking for co-hosts. Please comment below with your URL.

I know "Real" food may not seem like
as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the
internet. This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique. This is the place
to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade
posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted. These are garbage ingredients. Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:Do you ever think
about how far the food you eat travels? Who grew it? Who picked it?
How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:-Supports fair farmworker wages-GMO Free-Little to no processing/processed ingredients-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions-Meat
and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not
genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts! Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

This is not intended to be judgemental in any way. I still struggle with my addition to refined sugars. This is a place to share facts about "REAL Food" versus fake food and/or poisonous additives.

What is Refined Sugar?

From Become Healthy Now, "The completely refined white sugar product is now over 99.9% sucrose and
for all practical purposes contains no nutritional elements such as
vitamins, minerals, proteins or fibers. This accounts for expressions
such as "empty calories" and "junk food"

According to Family Education, "Every year the typical American consumes between 120 and 150 pounds of refined sugar. 2
That translates to over one-third of a pound a day, 600-plus calories
of teeth-rotting, health-destroying sweetness."

Keep in mind that I'm not referring to ALL sugars. This does not include honey or the natural sugar in fruits. This article only pertains to "Refined Sugar."

From Global Healing Center, "Dr. Martin classified refined sugar as a poison because it has been
depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals. "What is left
consists of pure, refined carbohydrates. The body cannot utilize this
refined starch and carbohydrate unless the depleted proteins, vitamins
and minerals are present. Nature supplies these elements in each plant
in quantities sufficient to metabolize the carbohydrate in that
particular plant. There is no excess for other added carbohydrates.
Incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of 'toxic
metabolite' such as pyruvic acid and abnormal sugars containing five
carbon atoms. Pyruvic acid accumulates in the brain and nervous system
and the abnormal sugars in the red blood cells. These toxic metabolites
interfere with the respiration of the cells. They cannot get sufficient
oxygen to survive and function normally. In time, some of the cells die.
This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the
beginning of degenerative disease."2"

Where do you find Refined Sugar?

From barbeque sauce to worsteshire...from deli meats to pretzels...refined sugar is every where. The obvious offenders are sodas, candies, ice cream and cakes. Did you know that most store-bought breads contain refined sugar? Yogurt is another repeat offender loaded with sugar.

According to Mercola.com "And now most
infant formula has the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, so
babies are being metabolically poisoned from day one of taking formula.
No wonder there is an obesity epidemic in this country."

How does Refined Sugar Affect the Body?

You don't have to be a doctor or scientist to see the obesity epidemic in this country. In the US alone, 34% of adults are obese (not just overweight). Carrying excess weight increases your risk for deadly conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes.
In 1893, there were fewer than three cases of diabetes per 100,000
people in the United States. Today, diabetes strikes almost 8,000 out of
every 100,000 people.1

Gaby Taubes, in a NY Times article Is Sugar Toxic?, wrote about a lecture from Robert Lustig "Sugar: the Bitter Truth." You can find the video on YouTube. Gaby writes, "If Lustig is right, then our excessive consumption of sugar is the
primary reason that the numbers of obese and diabetic Americans have
skyrocketed in the past 30 years. But his argument implies more than
that. If Lustig is right, it would mean that sugar is also the likely
dietary cause of several other chronic ailments widely considered to be
diseases of Western lifestyles — heart disease, hypertension and many
common cancers among them."

So far we have Cancer, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Toxicity and Obesity. I haven't even begun to research the effects of Refined Sugars and Children. It drives me absolutely crazy when I hear parents talk about their ADD kids and at the same time give them SODA to wash down their ADD medicine. Sugar cereal anyone...Ya, I'd like a little red #5, blue #3 with my High Fructose Corn Syrup thank you very much.

All kidding asside, refined sugars are killing us and killing our families. Have you lost a loved one to diabetes? Do you struggle with addiction or obesity? There is way out. At least, there is hope if you are willing to try.

I recommend the following books:

There is no "magical cure" or "perfect pill" but Where there is a Will, There is a Way. I'd love to hear from you!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!We are looking for co-hosts. Please comment below with your URL.

I know "Real" food may not seem like
as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the
internet. This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique. This is the place
to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade
posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted. These are garbage ingredients. Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:Do you ever think
about how far the food you eat travels? Who grew it? Who picked it?
How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:-Supports fair farmworker wages-GMO Free-Little to no processing/processed ingredients-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions-Meat
and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not
genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts! Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

A while back I wrote about making beer. I shared a bunch of different "HomeBrew Kits" and info. well, we still haven't had a chance to make beer. Between the holiday craziness and Mary's Heirloom Seeds we've been a bit busy.

I'm going to check out these books so I thought I'd share a few of the MANY books out there on HomeBrewing.
*these are affiliate links so I make a small commission if you make a purchase*

**BONUS** This one includes Kombucha! I just started my scoby yesterday!All of these books have been rated 4+ stars in reviews out of a possible 5. I especially like "Beer Making Book" because it is for small-batch brews with seasonal recipe.

AND...I found a book about how to GROW your own ingredients for beer!!!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday!HAPPY NEW YEAR! Did you enter the giveawayyet?

I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!We are looking for co-hosts. Please comment below with your URL.

I know "Real" food may not seem like
as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the
internet. This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique. This is the place
to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade
posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted. These are garbage ingredients. Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:Do you ever think
about how far the food you eat travels? Who grew it? Who picked it?
How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:-Supports fair farmworker wages-GMO Free-Little to no processing/processed ingredients-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions-Meat
and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not
genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts! Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

About Me

You may have noticed that the price on food, especially produce has been going up.The quality, not to mention the nutritional value, has been suffering for quite a while.
Heirloom seeds or seeds that have been passed down for generations are
far hardier and as some studies suggest, have more nutritional value
than genetically modified (GMO) seeds.I don't sell
anything that I wouldn't grow in my own garden. All of the seeds
listed are un-treated, non-hybrid, open-pollinated, non-gmo, heirloom
seeds. Plants are grown using no chemicals.

Anyway, I
have been growing my own vegetables and besides the money they save me
the flavor is WAY better than the vegetables available at the
supermarket.It also makes me feel less dependent on the supply and I know what goes on my veggies.I
put together a few packages of seeds that seem to belong together and
the individual seeds are available also. Food prices are not going down
and growing your own food, especially heirloom veggies, is a great way
to save money and get more nutrition for your dollar. Happy planting,Mary